Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Chevron Houston Marathon 2017 Training Week 6

People come to running for all different reasons. Today I want to introduce you to a cyclist turned runner! Ron Booth ran the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January and he is training to run his first Chevron Houston Marathon in 2017. I asked Ron the reason he became a runner and he said he actually had more than one:

“I run for two reasons, it gives me my time with God and I run for people and family members who can’t run,” he said.

When it comes to Ron's favorite Houston mile, he said it was around mile 7 when the full marathon group left and the half marathon group proceeded to finish their run. He said it was special to finish with the same group that trained together for 30 weeks.

Ron is the first "cyclist turned runner" I have met. I asked him how the transition happened. He said it was the product of a need:

“I used to run to fill up the gaps when I couldn’t cycle and then, somehow or another, running just became the thing. Then last year, I don’t know why, I needed running. There were some things going on in my life and I needed to run. I saw this group running in my neighborhood so I googled Fort Bend Fit. It just worked out because they were starting the season that following week so I’ve been with them ever since.”

Running is part of life and life can throw some difficult challenges at us. I asked Ron if he could offer advice for someone who might be going through a tough spot and who is considering long distance running. He said the key is to do something because it will take your mind off the concern and it will add additional value to your life:

"In the beginning you’ll find that just because of the place where you were, they (other runners) are encouraging you and then what you find out is that it becomes contagious and now you’re encouraging other people as well. It takes your mind of what’s going on and you become a part of the process of helping other people."

I'm thankful I had the honor of chat with Ron. Join me in praying that he will have a successful training season and for a great Chevron Houston Marathon Finish in January. Remember that you can still join us! Click here for details.

Last week I kept the swimming streak going. You'll find this funny but I was asked if I had ever considered training to be a life guard/instructor. I am considering taking a class to improve my technique. Swimming has been a great alternative to cross training. I also enjoy the fact that I can get in my own head without any disruptions. Swimming is easy on my joints and I am planning on sticking with it for a while.

This past week I started hill training. You know this is south Texas and it is flat so we go up and down parking garages. It's not easy but when you're done you feel awesome. I am challenging myself to stick with it so that my marathon performance will benefit.

My food journaling is going well this week. I am eager to see improvements and to reach my final goal which is to run a sub-5 in January.

Have I told you that you are awesome and you can do hard things? If I haven't, here it goes: YOU ARE AWESOME AND YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS! I believe it and God built you that way. Take on your challenge a small step at a time and you will get there. Thanks for reading friends!

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Cintia Listenbee is a Journalist, Speaker but more importantly, she is the wife of Pastor Zeke Listenbee and the mother of 3 amazing children. This SimplyCintia.com is the bilingual (English/Português) blog where she spreads hope one post at the time. Cintia enjoys running marathons and listening to audio books. She was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To work with Cintia, go to CintiaListenbee.com